Sickle cell trait surge worries Busoga medics

Medics have expressed concern over the increasing number of patients diagnosed with sickle cell anemia in Busoga sub-region.

Speaking to journalists, officials from Whisper’s Magical Children’s Hospital in Jinja said records for the previous year 2022 indicate that sickle cell topped the list of patients treated at the hospital.

William Katuramu the Human Resource Manager at the hospital said 2467 sickle cell patients were attended to at the hospital with 861 of these admitted, 71 transfused every month and 23 new sickle cell patients registered every month.

“The percentage of sickle cell patients to other patients in 2022 stood at 18% which is alarming,” Katuramu said.

He revealed that because of the overwhelming numbers of patients diagnosed with sickle disease, they have started a sickle cell clinic and that to this, at least 1606 patients were attended to.

Katuramu also revealed that malnourishment remains a challenge especially to the children of rural Busoga, with in estimate of 1,546 said to have been admitted to the hospital’s nutritional ward annually.

“We have established a free TB clinic and the good news for the start is we have already registered a total of 64 patients and we wish to provide more assistance to such patients” Katuramu said.

He noted that in a bid to educate locals in Busoga on how to keep healthy, the facility has launched a free healthcare magazine that will be distrusted freely .

Emem Offong , a doctor at the Whispers Magical Children’s Hospital advised locals to prioritize seeking medical services early enough for better treatment and management.